A Place to Begin Again: A Small-Town Christian Romance (A Place Called Home Series)

One devastating day. One desperate escape. One small town that changes everything.

Cassie Monroe thought she had it all figured out—a rising career in Chicago, a fiancé who checked every box, a future as polished as her résumé. Then, in a single Tuesday, everything she built comes crashing down.

With nothing left to lose, she accepts an unexpected offer: six months of free housing in Haven’s Creek, a small Illinois town three hours from the life she’s fleeing. She tells herself it’s temporary. A place to hide, heal, and figure out her next move.

Haven’s Creek has other ideas.

The town is everything Chicago isn’t—slow-paced, stubbornly close-knit, and impossible to hide in. Neighbors bring casseroles without asking. The local baker seems determined to manage everyone’s love life. And the quiet carpenter restoring the old church? He looks at Cassie like she matters—not for what she’s accomplished, but for who she is.

But Haven’s Creek holds secrets Cassie wasn’t prepared for. Connections to a past she’s spent twenty years avoiding. And the closer she gets to the people here—especially one person in particular—the more she realizes that moving forward might mean confronting everything she left behind.

Just when Cassie starts believing she might belong somewhere for the first time in her life, her old world comes calling with an offer she never expected. Now she faces a choice: the impressive life that looks right on paper... or the imperfect one that finally feels like home.

A heartfelt story of second chances, buried secrets, and the courage it takes to stop running and start building something real. Perfect for readers who love small-town romance, redemptive family drama, and love stories that unfold one honest conversation at a time.